Theodore W. Pietsch II (1912-1993) and the Development of automobile Design in the Golden Age

Ted was born on September 23, 1912, and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Heavily influenced from an early age by art and design by his architect father, coupled with the thrill and excitement of immediate family members—especially his favorite Uncle Stanley, automobile dealer and celebrated race-car fanatic—participating directly in the early beginnings of the automobile industry, he soon began to think on his own about cars. From about the time he was old enough to hold a pencil, he was drawing cars and “nothing but cars.” Eventually, with little formal education, but plenty of innate talent and an insatiable energy, he built a career for himself in the highly competitive world of automobile design. Starting an apprenticeship in 1934 under Ken Lee at the Chrysler Corporation in Detroit, he was assigned to the blueprint room, trimming countless blueprints to size as they rolled off the machine—a mindless occupation that lasted nearly a year. But from that initial “purgatory,” he favorably impressed management and his fellow designers, quickly rising to high status among his peers, and holding positions over the years in nearly all the major U.S. car companies, including Chrysler, Hudson Motors, Briggs Manufacturing Company, Ford, Studebaker, and American Motors. The hundreds of sketches, line drawings, and finished rendering that he produced over the years, many of the best of which are reproduced here, are testament to his skill and love for the job. He retired in 1972 and eventually moved west, where in southern California and later in Washington State he lived a quiet life with his wife Louise until his passing in 1993 at age 80.
ASIN: 0981886558
VSKU: BVV.0981886558.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Theodore W. Pietsch III|Frederic A. Sharf
Binding: Hardcover
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Missing dust cover, otherwise book is in good condition with some wear from normal use.